Over the past few decades, video cameras have evolved from stand-mounted devices too heavy for a person to carry down to a ubiquitous, tiny device. By, “ubiquitous,” a large percentage of the world's population have at least one video camera, in particular, as an included feature of most modern cellular phones (cell phones).
The video camera has evolved from vacuum tube light detectors that required high amounts of power and were typically large, to smaller vacuum tube based cameras that were small enough to be hand held, yet still requiring substantial power. In the later 1900s, new image detectors emerged using arrays of charge coupled devices or photo detectors (e.g. arrays of photo diodes) to detect light energy. These detectors enabled the proliferation of video cameras into many aspects of our lives, from video surveillance to the cameras in most cell phones that are sold today. These image sensors are found in low cost, small home video surveillance systems, in hand-held video recorders, in dash-mounted or body-worn video recorders (law enforcement), dash-cams, etc. The amount of video that is captured in a single day is astonishing.
Some small, low-power video cameras are integrated with wireless transmission technology (e.g., Wi-Fi) and batteries, creating easy-to-install home surveillance systems that easily install anywhere and relay their video signal to the Internet or to a home computer.
There is huge value in the vast amount of video data that is collected every day. Dash-cam video helps sort out who did what if an accident occurs, police worn cameras help protect law enforcement members from being accused of wrongful acts, home video surveillance helps identify thieves or monitor homes while on vacation, vehicle back-up cameras save lives every day, especially young children. The positive uses for modern, low cost, small sized video cameras are countless.
Unfortunately, as with many things, there will always be some subset of the population that will find negative uses for anything. In one example, some people who lack moral character find it rewarding to install wireless video cameras in places where others would not expect to be watched. Recent arrest reports include people being arrested for installing hidden video cameras in public restroom facilities, in dorm rooms, in locker rooms, etc. Further, some find joy in having hidden cameras throughout their home (e.g., in areas of intimacy), recording encounters with others without the knowledge of the other person. There have been stories of landlords installing hidden cameras in rental apartment showers or lovers installing hidden cameras in bedrooms, etc. Many of such recordings are somehow enjoyed by the person capturing the video, but in some cases, the person illegally discloses the video, perhaps on a web page (on the Internet), or worse, if the other person is famous, to the press, possibly exposing video images containing nudity and intimacy that severely hurts the other person in many ways. As an example, there were several videos of famous actresses or singers that were made public without those actresses'/singers' consent.
After undesired video recording occurs, the victim typically has little evidence other than the recorded product. It will be useful during prosecution to have better evidence of the location of the hidden camera(s).
What is needed is a portable system that will warn a person about the presence of a wireless video camera.